We Try Burgerville's Fresh Raspberry Milkshake

On the heels of its popular Fresh Strawberry Milkshake, Pacific Northwest-centered fast food chain Burgerville just released its second summer seasonal treat: the Fresh Raspberry Milkshake. And while the focus remains on in-season fruit, this particular shake doesn't quite match the success of its strawberry brethren.

Burgerville's M.O. is right there in its slogan: "Fresh, Local, Sustainable." Its constantly rotating seasonal items, which include burgers topped with Walla Walla sweet onions in the summer and pumpkin desserts in the fall, utilize produce sourced entirely from nearby farms. The raspberries in this seasonal milkshake come from Liepold Farms, which also supplies Burgerville's strawberries and blackberries. Portland's own Sunshine Dairy supplies the shake's vanilla ice cream base.

Upon first sip, you can't ignore the fact that there are several chunks of raspberry floating around in every square inch of this shake. While Burgerville took pains to puree its strawberries to an easily suckable consistency, the same cannot be said of its raspberries. Expect your straw to become inundated with clusters of semi-frozen raspberry drupelets, seeds and all. You should probably reach for a spoon instead.

Unfortunately, the shake just doesn't taste like real raspberries, which are usually more tart than sweet. Here, the sugar in the vanilla ice cream sits front and center, with any raspberry flavors—real or otherwise—hiding in the background.

Barring a lengthy process that involves collecting the juice and pulp but straining out the seeds, raspberries aren't the ideal candidate for a Burgerville milkshake. The result is too lumpy and too mildly flavored, and you end up needing to floss out the seeds stuck in your teeth. Those faults aside, it's a pleasant enough dessert, but better to hold out for whatever Burgerville's got up its sleeve next.

Burgerville

About the author:Adam Lindsley is a Pacific Northwest-based writer, musician, and the author of the pizza blog, This Is Pizza. You can follow him at @ThisIsPizza on Twitter. Astonishingly, he really enjoys burgers, pizza, beer, and doughnuts.

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About the Author

AdamLindsley is a Pacific Northwest-based writer, musician, and the author of the pizza blog, This Is Pizza. Besides Serious Eats, he has written for The Oregonian and Seattle Pulp. You can follow him at @ThisIsPizza on Twitter. He will do just about anything for a good doughnut, Belgian-style beer, or taco, with an almost total disregard for the consequences.

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